

NAAAP Kansas City Experts.
Get some curated hot spots from our own members.
Sometimes going through a whole list of restaurants and places to visit could be very overwhelming. We thought we would start with a few curated lists directly from our NAAAP-KC members. They’re sorted by time of day or types of experience, with a few bonus activity suggestions. If you have any questions, ping them on their social media!

Michael Ong
View List
Morning
- The Roasterie Cafe at Corrigan Station
- Messenger Coffee Company
- Mildred’s Coffee
- Chez Elle Creperie and Coffeehouse
- Brown & Loe
Afternoon
- The Russell
- Lidia’s
- The Westside Local
- BRGR Kitchen + Bar
- Freestyle Poke
- The Bite KC
- Komatsu Ramen
- Q39 (Midtown)
- Moti Mahal II (on Pennsylvania Ave)
Evening
- Jack Stack BBQ
- Farina
- The Rockhill Grille
- Webster House
- Bob Wasabi Kitchen
- Blue Koi (Midtown)
- Gram & Dun
Cocktails/Happy Hour
Desserts/Sweet Treats
- Christopher Elbow Artisanal Chocolates (McGee)
- Betty Rae’s Ice Cream in River Market
- Andy’s Frozen Custard in Westport
Activities

Shivani Bhandari
View List
Morning
- Messenger Coffee Company
- Succotash (casual brunch)
- Webster House (brunch)
Afternoon
- Papa Keno’s (Crossroads) Pizza (fast casual)
- Freestyle Poke (fast casual)
- Blue Sushi Sake Grill (happy hour 3-6:30 daily)
- Protein House (healthy)
Evening
- The Rockhill Grille (American)
- Gram & Dun (American, great patio!)
- Baramee Thai (Asian)
- Farina (Italian)
- Corvino (reverse happy hour)
- Stock Hill Steakhouse (upscale at the Country Club Plaza – make reservations)
- Black Dirt (upscale at the Country Club Plaza – make reservations)
- Says Shivani: “Try the Black Tea Cocktail – it is amazing!”
- Betty Rae’s Ice Cream in River Market (dessert)
- Says Shivani: “The toasted butter pecan is heaven!”
Cocktails
- Lazia at the Crossroads Hotel
- The Savoy at 21c
- Percheron at the Crossroads Hotel (rooftop)
- SoT Social
- Tom’s Town Distilling Company (local spirits)
- Swordfish Tom’s (speakeasy)
- The Monarch Bar (at the Country Club Plaza)
Activities
- Jazz at the Green Lady Lounge & Black Dolphin
- Says Shivani: “It wouldn’t be a trip to KC without some Jazz! Luckily, these two local favorites are located right next to each other.”
- Boulevard Brewing Company
- National WWI Museum and Memorial
- Says Shivani: “This is my favorite view of the city!”
Made in KC (shop local favorites)

Will Brown
View List
Morning
- Messenger Coffee Company
- Mildred’s Coffee
- Chez Elle (creperie and coffeehouse)
Afternoon
Evening
- Novel
- Farina
- Lazia at the Crossroads Hotel
- Lidia’s
- Joe’s Kansas City BBQ
- Blue Koi (Midtown)
- Cafe Trio (support this local LGBTQ business!)
Cocktails/Happy Hour
Activities
- The Roasterie tour
- Boulevard Brewing Company tour
- Kemper Contemporary Art Museum
- OffKey (karaoke in Westport)

James Tran
View List
‘An Escapade in the Crossroads District’
Bars/Taphouses/Lounges
- Green Lady Lounge (great for cocktails and a relaxing dark atmosphere)
- Up-Down Arcade Bar (upbeat and fun atmosphere with pizza)
- International Tap House (Crossroads) (great for big groups)
- Percheron Rooftop Bar at the Crossroads Hotel
Distilleries
- Tom’s Town Distilling Company (classy distillery with top shelf drinks and appetizers)
- Says James: “Tom’s Town is my favorite local distillery for my favorite drink: an Old Fashioned”
- Lifted Spirits KC (local distillery with an emphasas on creating great spirits as well as revitalizing and bringing the community together)
Local breweries nearby
Food
- Mildred’s Coffee (great for breakfast)
- Grinders Pizza (Crossroads)
- Says James: “I love the philly at Grinder’s”
- The Rockhill Grille (upscale American dining – reserve in advance)
- The Rieger (American – reserve in advance)
- Affare (upscale modern German – reserve in advance)
- Mission Taco Joint (street style tacos, great for big groups)
- Nara (sushi)
Boling’s Stories
Saving Recipes, a story about the founder of Boling’s.
Check out the video by Hallmark, our Diamond sponsor, about saving family recipes. This is the Boling’s family. Richard is “Bo,” and Theresa is “Ling.”
Boling’s is also one of the donors for the Gala silent auction. Let’s support businesses that support NAAAP. Boling’s, is ready for you to visit their restaurant this weekend.
Thanks them for us.
Exclusive Private Screening of The Farewell with Special Guest, Actor Tzi Ma
A Leadership Convention add-on event

Please join us for an exclusive post-screening fireside chat with Ken Fong, host of Asian America: The Ken Fong Podcast and Hong Kong born actor Tzi Ma, who plays Billi’s father, Haiyan in the film.
Limited seating is available for this private screening at AMC Prairiefire. The intimate theatre has a maximum capacity of 80 people. We are offering tickets exclusively to our convention attendees for a limited time on a first-come, first-served basis.
In partnership with

Places to visit for Leadership Convention attendees.
Curated by Helen Jorski, a local KC leader from Bank of America.

Your hotel & convention is at the Westin, which is near Union Station and Crown Center (it’s a shopping mall). While it is not “Downtown”, it is fairly close, but there’s not a whole lot in the immediate surrounding area i.e. you won’t walk out of your hotel to see bright lights, it’s a slightly longer walk or a short ride on the Ride KC streetcar, which runs along Main St. It is new, clean, and free – picks you up at Union Station and will take you to the 1) Crossroads, 2) Downtown (where our office is and Power & Light District), and 3) the River Market. Two other popular areas to visit with a lot of bars, restaurants and shopping are Westport (nightlife) and Country Club Plaza. Both are ~10-15 minute drives from your hotel.
General Attractions:
Walking distance to hotel
- Union Station – historic train station with exhibits, a planetarium and a science center (and restaurants) – walking distance to Westin. BofA donated $1MM towards the renovations of Union Station.
- World War I Museum – this is the country’s leading museum and Memorial for World War I – along with many community oriented businesses that have contributed to KC’s urban revival, Bank of America is also one of the large sponsors/donors.
- Crown Center – indoor shopping mall
Near the hotel
- River Market (take the streetcar) – now a neighborhood with new condos, it still houses the historic River Market, a collection of restaurants and shops. Fantastic Farmer’s Market on Saturday mornings
- Power & Light District (take streetcar) – this is Downtown, near our office, which houses the Sprint Center (concerts, events) and a host of restaurants and bars
- Country Club Plaza – outdoor shopping district ~10 minute drive – beautiful Spanish style architecture nice for a stroll with alot of food/drink/shopping
- Nelson Atkins Museum – fantastic art museum (free) with great outdoor area
Grocery Store
- Cosentino’s Downtown Market on 12th and Main has groceries and a huge selection of prepared foods – it is along the StreetCar line.
Queer Eye
- The Fab 5 were here not too long ago and filmed Season 3 and 4 here in KC. Here is a compilation of what they loved.
- The Jones Sisters appeared on one of their makeovers – you can visit their restaurant too! Their hours are 11am-3pm
Jazz:
KC is proud of its Jazz tradition. There is the 18th & Vine Historic Jazz District where you will find the American Jazz Museum and the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum. A popular Jazz lounge is called the Green Lady Lounge & Black Dolphin, which is not far from your hotel.
Craft Beers/Restaurants/Distilleries in the Crossroads neighborhood:
- Boulevard Brewing Co
- Up-Down KC (beer place with arcade games)
- Double Shift Brewing
- Lifted Spirits
- Tom Town Distillery
- J. Rieger
Kiddos:
Near hotel
- Science City at Union Station – walking distance to Westin. There is also a miniature train room, but also Science City, a really fun kidseum and outdoor play area
- Legoland and Discovery Center – also walking distance to Westin – fun, but small and indoors compared to other Legolands in KC
- Kaleidoscope – very close to hotel in Crown Center – kids make art with leftover materials from Hallmark
- Betty Rae’s Ice Cream in the River Market – kids LOVE the Streetcar: take the Streetcar from Union Station and go to the River Market – fun to walk around and get ice cream
- Farmer’s Market – at the River Market on Saturday mornings – take the Streetcar
- Penn Valley Park (where WWI Memorial is)
- Sheila Kemper Dietrich Park – has a playground but is under construction
Not far from hotel but requires a vehicle
- Nelson Atkins Museum – short ride/drive, and has a new miniature golf exhibit on its exterior grounds – the museum itself is free and kids can hang out here
- Kansas City Zoo – not too far but requires a car/Uber to get to – can easily spend a full day here
- Loose Park – really nice playground and in the Brookside neighborhood, where it’s more kid friendly
Suburbia
- Deanna Rose Children’s Farmstead
- Other fun things like Urban Aire (trampoline park), rock climbing gyms, Main Event, Dave & Busters, Chuck E Cheese.
Kansas City Asian artists.
In partnership with ArtsKC and curated by the NAAAP Kansas City.

ArtsKC in partnership with The National Association of Asian American Professionals of Kansas City celebrates Kansas City’s selection as host city for NAAAP’s National Leadership Convention from Thursday, August 22nd through Saturday, August 24th with a group exhibition of Kansas City-based Asian American visual artists Nanci Lee Ayala, Flora Chang, Ben Lee, David Moore, Suba Nadarajah & Michael Ong.
In exploring the NAAAP Leadership Convention’s theme of The Unconventional Leader, “Multifaceted” explores the plurality of identity we possess as human beings, particularly those from marginalized or ethnic backgrounds. Bucking the stereotype of the dry and self-serious model minority, the Asian American artists of “Multifaceted” show the eclectic range of their personalities: the outsider and the accepted, the traditional and iconoclastic, the business-minded and renegade, the disciplined and the whimsical.
ArtsKC and NAAAP-KC invite you to visit The ArtsKC Gallery for the “Multifaceted” exhibition that will run through September 30th, 2019.
Gallery Hours:
Monday-Thursday 12pm-5pm
Fridays & Mornings: By appointments only through Aug. 30
Open First Fridays 5pm-8pm
Address:
106 Southwest Blvd., Kansas City, MO 64108
Contact Information:
Phone: (816) 221-1777
Email: TheArtsCouncil@ArtsKC.org
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American Advertising Federation (AAF) - Kansas City • American Institute of Graphic Arts (AIGA) Kansas City • The American Institute of Architects (AIA) Kansas City • The Asian American Chamber of Commerce of Kansas City • International Relations Council • Kansas City Center for Inclusion • Kansas City Chinese Association •